


Silver Skin

by juicicaya



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Body Image, Eating Disorders, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lance like isn't an active character in this fic, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Lance - Freeform, Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:08:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25706422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juicicaya/pseuds/juicicaya
Summary: Hunk struggles to figure out how to live life after being released from a mental hospital.Dear Lance,It's only been a week since I've left. I miss you so much it hurts, but I guess that's just how it has to be now.
Relationships: Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Romelle (Voltron), Hunk/Keith (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is loosely based off the show My Mad Fat Diary!

Dear Lance,

It's only been a week since I've left. I miss you so much it hurts, but I guess that's just how it has to be now.

At least it's the summer now, so that's good. My dad is trying not to be hard on me, but I can tell he's frustrated. I don't have many friends, which isn't ALL my fault.

I haven't talked to Pidge at all after being gone for two months, and I haven't built up the courage to admit what happened. And anyway, she has this whole new friend group. They are the 'cool kids' if you will, and I don't really know how to even approach that.

But for now, I'll just keep writing to you until I figure something out. And then keep writing after that. I miss you so much. Maybe I'll visit this weekend?

Love, Hunk.

Hunk closes his note book and sets it aside to the corner of his desk. He looks at the picture of him and Lance, and then next to it a picture of him and Pidge. Damn, he really should call her. 

Hunk pushes his rolling chair away from his desk, standing up and heading out to the living room to use the house phone. His dad still hasn't given him his smartphone back, and probably won't until Hunk decides to leave the house. How is he even supposed to make plans anyway with no phone?

Despite this, he has Pidge's number memorized, so he dials it into the small handheld house phone. It rings 4 times before it picks up, and Pidge's voice comes through the other end.

"Hello?" She asks, a lot of chatter and voices coming through as well.

"Pidge! It's Hunk." He exclaims, cringing at the annoying sound of his voice.

"Oh my god, I haven't heard from you in two months! What happened?" She questions, and Hunk could tell Pidge walked to a quieter room. 

"It's a long story. Maybe we could hang out sometime soon to talk about it?" Hunk questions.

"Of course, I'll go home right now and we can have a sleepover. My house, of course. I'll make my dad get us pizza. See you there?" Pidge says quickly, a hopeful sound to her voice. Hunk can't help but smile, his best friend has always been so quick to be at his side. Why did he ever even doubt her?

"That sounds great Pidge. I'll see you in an hour." He says softly.

"See you." Pidge responds before hanging up.

That was admittedly easier than he thought it'd be. Well, he should probably get to packing an overnight bag.

He tosses a pair of pajamas in a bag, as well as an extra sweatshirt and jeans for tomorrow morning. He also packs his toothbrush and such. He's done quickly, and he takes a few minutes to check himself over in the mirror.

His hair looked adequate, but he looks big and fat, as usual. He's probably never going to like the way he looks, and he has to deal with that every day.

Hunk exits the bathroom, going to the living room. His dad is sitting on the couch, the TV on but he's mostly zoned out with a beer in his hand. He doesn't even notice as Hunk tugs on his boots and gently opens and closes the door behind him. He considers taking the truck, seeing he would be home at a decent time tomorrow and his dad could have it in time for work, but goes against it. He shouldn't be trusted with a vehicle in the first place.

The walk to Pidge's house is nice. She only lives a 15 minute walk away, and the weather is decent. He's able to drop off his letter to Lance at the post office, too. It's almost seven PM by the time he arrives at Pidge's house, and his hands are sweaty in anticipation. It's been awhile since they've seen each other.

He slowly brings his hand up to the doorbell, before pulling back and opting to knock gently on the door. A few seconds later, Pidge opens up the door, a smile on her face. She immediately jumps onto Hunk, wrapping her small figure around him in a tight hug. He obviously hugs her back, burying his head in her shoulder as he lifts her up to his starkly different height. They hug for a long few seconds before he puts her back down.

"Ok, so my dad already ordered pizza, and he'll be home with it in like an hour or something. My mom and Matt are out shopping, so we have the whole house to ourselves." Pidge babbles on, locking the door behind Hunk and turning back towards him. "We can go up to my room or chill in the living room, whatever you want!" Pidge says.

"Um, the living room sounds good, I guess?" Hunk shrugs, not really caring. They walk together out towards the nicely cleaned and decorated living room. The Holt's like to keep a well-presented house, and it shows. Despite this, Pidge plops onto the couch, immediately propping her feet up on the coffee table. Hunk smiles, sitting down at the other end of the couch. He sits crossed legged, facing towards Pidge.

"So, I guess you have a lot to tell me? You're dad kind of told my parents that you went to live with your mom for a few months when I started asking, but I kind of figured that wasn't true." Pidge says, crossing her arms.

"He said that?" Hunk huffs, "what a douche." He says, rolling his eyes. "It's kind of a long story, but the short version is I crashed my dad's car because I was really depressed and kind of didn't care if I died or not, you know?" He says, laughing awkwardly. Pidge sits up, jaw dropped.

"Hunk, you tried to kill yourself and nobody told me? Oh my god I would have visited you or something, literally anything!" Pidge says, clearly a little saddened.

"I know, it's just... it wasn't one of my prouder moments. I didn't even really do a very good job, because all that happened was a few pretty bad cuts and a concussion. When I woke up in the hospital I begged my dad not to tell anyone that I had tried to kill myself. I guess he came up with a pretty shitty excuse, though."

"Shit, Hunk. That's awful. What happened after that?" Pidge asked.

"Well, my dad was still concerned even though I told him I was fine, so he sent me to a mental health facility out in the city. I was there for most of the two months I was gone." Hunk says, looking down at his hands. Somehow, that fact is more embarrassing than his suicide attempt.

"Wow. How was that? Is it as awful as the movies make it out to be?" Pidge tries to joke, but it's kind of awkward and makes them both uncomfortable. Hunk tries to shake it off as he responds.

"It wasn't awful. I had strict meal plans and schedules but the people weren't too bad. I made a friend, Lance. He was awesome, and kind of my superhero. You would like him." Hunk says, trying not to get choked up.

"That's amazing. And you feel better now, right?" Pidge asks, worried for her best friend.

"I'm not perfect, but I'm getting there." Hunk says confidently.

"And if you ever feel like that again, you can tell me. I'm always here for you." Pidge leans in to hug Hunk, slumping on top of him. As they hold each other in an embrace for a minute or so, Pidge's dad comes home.

"Hey, kiddos. I brought pizza!" He cheers out, and Pidge and Hunk pull apart and get up to eat.

-

Dear Lance,

I'm happy to say me and Pidge have reunited. I don't honestly know what I was so scared of, she was just as accepting as she has always been. I told her about you, and how much she would like you.

After I'd gotten all of that off my chest, we just had a really fun night. She told me about all her new friends, and invited me to hang out with them. She probably feels obligated to invite me, but I'll just have to swallow my pride on the slim chance I could make more friends. I'm not really in the shape to miss out on friends.

I'm supposed to be meeting up with them soon, so I guess that's all for today.

Love, Hunk.

-

Hunk searches through his closet relentlessly, just trying to find something that he might possibly look ok in. His room is a mess, with clothes all over the floor and on his bed.

Maybe he needs to go shopping... except that would probably make him feel even worse. Eventually he settles on a pair of khaki pants, a yellow t-shirt, and a jacket his dad gave him that is still a little too big for him.

Hunk leaves his room in disarray, not wanting to be late to meet up with Pidge and her friends. Hunk quickly checks in on his dad who is dead asleep in his room before pulling on his sneakers and leaving the house.

Hunk still doesn't have his phone, but his dad said he could have it back sometime next week. On the walk to the little pub where Pidge invited him, Hunk starts to get nervous. The sun is just barely setting and a cooler temperature veils over his town, but he still feels sweat start welling up on his back and his hands, too.

An uneasy feeling settles in Hunk's stomach too, despite not eating at all today. This type of overthinking and worrying is what gets Hunk in trouble most of the time. He just needs to relax, and go with the flow.

As Hunk approaches the place, he wipes his hands down his pants and takes a few deep breaths. He opens the door reluctantly, stepping inside to the even cooler temperature.

Hunk glances around briefly to try to find Pidge's mop of brown hair, but suddenly she's at his side, tugging at his hand.

"Hey, Hunk! Me and my friends were just ordering some drinks, lets go!" Pidge says, pulling Hunk to their table. As they arrive, Hunk has to stop his jaw from dropping as he looks at some of the most attractive people he has ever seen; a girl and two guys laughing and drinking.

"Drinks will be here in a second!" Pidge says, sitting down and pulling out the chair next to her for Hunk. Hunk takes a seat, smiling at the group. One seat was left empty on Hunk's other side.

"Ok, guys. This is my best friend, Hunk. Hunk, this is Allura, Shiro, and Keith. There's Romelle too, she's coming back with a drink for you and I in a second!" Pidge says, gesturing vaguely to the bar.

"Oh, well.. I don't really drink." Hunk says sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Aw, whatever. I'll just drink it for you!"

Hunk doesn't say much after the initial introduction, not really knowing what to do with the way everyone was laughing and having fun. Pidge had... changed a lot. She goes to bars, has this new group of hot friends, and even wears makeup and revealing clothes now. None of that is necessarily a bad thing, considering Hunk has changed a lot too.

"Oh my god, this must be the infamous Hunk!" Someone says from vaguely behind him. Hunk turns to look, seeing a tall blonde with some drinks in her hands. This must be Romelle. Fuck, she's gorgeous.

Hunk, at a loss for words just turns back to the table awkwardly, face beat red. Before Romelle can say anything else, Keith speaks up.

"'Melle, can you go suggest a good song?" Keith is the one sitting closest to Hunk on the other side of the empty seat. He's holding out a dollar, and Romelle is setting down the drinks in order to grab the dollar. Before she gets the chance, he snatches it from Keith's hand.

"I can play something!" Hunk says a little too enthusiastically, standing up from his seat. Next to him, Romelle looks a little shocked but goes ahead and takes a seat.

"Hey, Romelle's got good taste, that's why I asked-" Keith starts saying, a scowl on his face.

"C'mon Keith. If you really don't like the song I'll pay for the next one." Shiro says, punching Keith's arm and shooting a wink at Hunk. Hunk flushes red, not wasting any time rushing towards the music guy. He ponders for a second what to play, before the obvious choice comes to mind.

He speaks with the guy manning the music for a few seconds before the first notes of the song begin to play. He smiles as he walks back towards the table. The first couple lines of the song are just beginning as he gets in ear shot of the table.

"See you had nothing to worry about." Shiro says to Keith.

"Whatever." Keith rolls his eyes.

If there is one thing Hunk was confident in, it was his taste in music. As he walks to sit down, Romelle is facing Hunk and follows him with his eyes. Once he's sat down, she says,

"Electric love, huh? Not bad. I'm Romelle!" She says, smiling and holding her hand out for Hunk to shake. Hunk worries for a second about his sweaty hands before just firmly shaking her hand and quickly letting go.

"Uh, I'm Hunk." He says, not thinking about how she literally already knows that.

"You're cute." She giggles and smiles at him, then turns to get back in on the conversation at the table.

Hunk sits there for a bit, kind of in a daze. Did such a beautiful girl just call him cute? Is that.. is that a good thing or a bad thing? Hunk zones out for a bit until Pidge's voice brings him back too.

"Hunk! You'll come to Allura's party, right?" Pidge asks, eyes sparkling and wide.

"Oh, uh- for sure!"

"That's amazing! I just moved and I thought what better to celebrate that and Pidge's birthday then a pool party!" Allura exclaims, holding her drink up for a cheers. Hunk's jaw drops, and he has no other choice but to panic and pick up the drink Romelle got from the bar and cheer with the rest of the table before throwing his head back and downing the whole thing. This party is really going to suck.

-

On the day of the pool party, Hunk feels an immense amount of dread. He hasn't seen anyone since he got invited at the bar, mostly because he's been drowning in self-pity and regret. Oh, and, nobody called.

Actually, Pidge had invited him to go swimsuit shopping, but honestly that sounded horrible. He loved Pidge to death but she tended to be... indecisive. She always would ask Hunk a million different questions about whatever she was thinking about buying. Or, she would try stuff on and say horrible things about herself, that were kind of painful for Hunk to hear.

Honestly, it kind of makes sense that Hunk and Pidge had grown apart the few months before he had, y'know. Pidge was great and all, but she tended to be a little self-involved. Hunk was having the worst year of his life, and all he ever heard from his best friend was complaints about her own life. Stuff like her dad not buying her the latest computer technology or her brother hogging the bathroom. 

It was just hard for Hunk to try to manage and make Pidge feel better about everything while also keeping his collapsing mental health under control. Maybe if he had just been honest with her all those months ago, it would have been different. That's what is going to be different this time. Now, she does know. That could either be for better or for worse. Hunk will just have to see.

-

Hunk really regrets not going shopping with Pidge. Getting ready to go to Allura's house he realizes; all he owns is a 5 year old pair of swim trunks! This is really, really bad. The last time he wore these was when he was 15, what was he supposed to do now! There is no way he has time to go to the store, so he just has to make it work. The shorts technically fit him, but really lack in the length department. They barely hit mid thigh instead of a comfortable right above the knee that Hunk would much rather have.

Hunk shakes his head and sighs, putting a more well fitting pair of shorts over the trunks. Maybe he just... won't swim. He doubts Pidge will let him get away with that, but he'll have to pray.

Hunk throws on the most loose fitting t-shirt he owns, hopefully to cover up his pathetic attempt at wearing swim trunks. The shirt is one of his dads, and it barely stays up on his shoulders, leaving the rarely smooth skin over his collarbones exposed.

Hunk pockets his phone that he finally got back, as well as filling a bag with some snacks, a bottle of vodka he found in the kitchen, and sunscreen because he knows Pidge will forget. At about 6:30, Hunk leaves the house knowing he might be a little late to arrive at Allura's by 7.

Allura lives way farther away than Pidge, being just on the outskirts of town. He has to walk about 10 minutes to the bus station, take a bus for about 15, then walk to Allura's from there. Pidge offered to pick him up, but he declined, saying his dad would drive him.

The truth was, Hunk didn't want to get psyched out by Pidge's presence, she can be a little overwhelming sometimes. He knew she would want to talk about what Hunk thought about her friends, if he liked her swimsuit, stuff like that. Hunk just figured it would be easier to avoid that until he actually arrived at the party.

After about a half hour, Hunk arrives at Allura's house. It's quite literally a mansion compared to the hole in the wall apartment Hunk and his dad live in. Hunk thought Pidge's house was huge but this is... really something else.

Hunk hesitantly approaches the front door but stops as he hears Allura call out to him.

"Hunk, just come around the back!" She says, waving to him from a path off her driveway. Hunk smiles and waves back, following her around the side of the house and into her backyard. The backyard is even bigger than the house. There's a shiny dark brown deck connected to the house, then there's the big underground pool connected to a hot tub, and behind that a nicely decorated and gently forested plot of grass. Theirs a few flowers and veggies growing already, despite them just moving in. Hunk can't help but wonder if Allura grows them or if her parents do.

Hunk pays his attention back to the group of people instead of on Allura's lovely home. Allura is now sitting on the edge of the pool, delicately putting her hair back as her feet dangle in the water. Shiro is in the water in front of her, talking to her and threatening to splash her. Keith is by the snack and drink table, which Hunk quickly drops the stuff he brought there without saying anything to Keith.

Then, Hunk walks over to Pidge and Romelle, who are both laid out of some lawn chairs, seemingly getting some sun. Hunk sits on a similar chair next to Pidge, Romelle on the other side of her. Pidge opens one eye to look over at Hunk, waving at him before closing her eyes again.

"Pidge, did you put sunscreen on?"

"Noooo, Papa Hunk. I did not." Pidge says, lifting her sunglasses up to look at him. 

"Let me guess, you brought some even though you never burn because you wanted to make sure I would put some on." Pidge says all of this just as Hunk innocently pulls out a bottle of sunscreen. She sighs, sitting up.

"You sure are something." Pidge says, laughing. "Well, Romelle did have me apply some earlier, but I guess it's time for reapplication."

"Here, I'll help." Hunk offers, squeezing a generous amount on his hand. He waits for Pidge as she moves in her chair and unties the string of her biking wrapped around her neck. Hunk gently lathers the sunscreen all over Pidge, massaging her as he goes. He knows Pidge loves his massages, so why not. Once he's done, he caps the bottle and rubs the excess left on his hand onto his shoulders.

"Thanks, big guy!" Pidge says, standing and tossing her sunglasses on the chair before taking a running dive into the pool. It splashes Allura and Shiro, and she shrieks before being dragged in anyway by Shiro.

"You're supposed to let it dry!" Hunk says, falling upon Pidge's deaf ears. He sighs, putting the sunscreen back in his bag and trying to relax a bit.

"You gonna get in?" Romelle asks, standing up and sitting back down in the chair closest to Hunk, facing him directly.

"Oh well... I don't know." Hunk shrugs, face red as he examines the beautiful girl in front of him. She's wearing a pair of high waisted denim shorts, paired with a t-shirt that's knotted in the front, just barely exposing her apparently pierced belly button. Her long hair is in one braid, with some pieces of her bangs falling and nicely framing her face.

"Yeah, me neither. Swimming isn't really my thing." Romelle shrugs. Hunk perks up at this.

"Why's that?" He asks curiously.

"Well... I'll show you but you have to promise you won't tell anyone?" Romelle says, eyes shy as she looks at Hunk.

"O-of course!" He blurts out. Romelle chuckles, adjusting slightly to lift up her shirt. She's wearing a yellow bikini top that fits her impossibly well.

"I have a lot of stretch marks on my side and stomach. I don't really like them." Romelle mumbles, letting her shirt fall back down.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you look great!"

"Thanks, Hunk." Romelle smiles at Hunk, leaning back in the chair and looking down at her lap. He doesn't really know how to respond, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

"If you go in, I'll go too!" Romelle's head shoots up to look at Hunk, a huge grin on her face. She stands up immediately, grabbing Hunk's hand.

"C'mon then!" She starts trying to pull him up out of the seat.

"Well, I'm going to check out the snack table, maybe get a drink and change the music. You go in without me!" Hunk urges, pulling his hand away.

"Ok, well you better not wimp out on me, I expect you in the pool in a few!" She exclaims, beginning to undress and throw her clothes on her own chair. She then slowly walks in down the stairs, everybody who has been messing around in the pool cheering as she enters. Keith isn't at the snack and drink table anymore so he stands up and heads over there.

Hunk pours himself some of the vodka he brought into a cup, downing half the cup straight. He's gonna need some liquid courage to get into the pool. He turns to the phone face down on the table hooked up to the speaker system in the backyard. It's playing a Wallows song he doesn't really know right now, but Hunk goes ahead and changes it to some Tame Impala.

With the upbeat song playing, Hunk finishes off his drink before walking back to where he was sitting. He stands there contemplating for a second before deciding, fuck it. How is he ever going to make friends if he just sits on the sidelines like some weirdo?

Hunk takes off his shorts, leaving him in his t-shirt and ill-fitting trunks. He makes eye contact with Romelle who shoots him a look of encouragement. He starts walking over to the same stairs Romelle went down. He hugs the rail and the cool water shocks his warm skin.

Suddenly, he feels resistance on his back but walks a bit more down the stairs until he realizes his shirt is being ripped off his body. Clearly, it got caught on a nail protruding from the railing and is now hanging off his arms and exposes his body in a way that shows his stomach, chest, all of it.

Hunk swallows heavily as everyone looks at him one by one, Romelle with a slightly worried look on her face. He figured everyone might start laughing at him or something, but instead the awkward silence grows heavier until he feels forced to say something.

"Hey, Allura."

"Yes, dear."

"Could you help get this sad excuse for a t-shirt off of me?" Allura smiles, wading over to him and pretty much ripping the rest of the shirt open with unexpected strength and pulling it off his arms. She then pulls him into the water, dunking his head under.

Even though you could have heard a pin drop in the silence a couple seconds prior, suddenly everyone has a smile on their face and is laughing with Hunk and having fun with everyone finally splashing around in the pool.

After an epic splash battle and a handstand contest between Shiro and Keith, Hunk has time to think for a second. He steps back a bit, leaning against the side of the pool. 

The scars on his stomach were proof that he was alive. And he had survived.

He would never be ashamed of them again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear Lance,
> 
> It's kind of weird having friends. I expected I would leave the hospital and do something stupid to plant myself right back there with you. Not seeing you every day still hurts a lot, but I think I'm getting used to it. I hope you are too, Lance.
> 
> That way, maybe one day we can see each other and it will be like none of the past ever happened. As if we were normal.
> 
> I don't know. Maybe that's just wishful thinking.
> 
> Love, Hunk.

Dear Lance,

It's kind of weird having friends. I expected I would leave the hospital and do something stupid to plant myself right back there with you. Not seeing you every day still hurts a lot, but I think I'm getting used to it. I hope you are too, Lance.

That way, maybe one day we can see each other and it will be like none of the past ever happened. As if we were normal.

I don't know. Maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Love, Hunk.

Hunk leans back in the cafe seat, setting down his pen and taking a sip of his coffee. It was nice getting out of the house for a bit on his own, not to go out and drink or meet up with friends. Hunk folds up the letter and tucks it in an envelope, addressing it and putting a stamp on it.

Hunk looks up and examines the cafe as he's getting ready to leave. At that moment, the door opens with a ring of the bell and Keith walks in. Great, the one guy he's pretty sure doesn't like him.

Keith catches a glimpse of Hunk, nodding at him and then walking to the counter to order. He has his motorcycle helmet in hand, and his red leather jacket flexes against his arms and shoulders as he reaches up to rustle his hair.

Hunk doesn't want to leave now, it would look like he was running away from Keith. He really just wants to be friends with the guy, just like he is with everyone else.

Hunk can't help but think he's kind of hot. I mean, when they'd met, Hunk had acknowledged he was attractive, but looking at him now, Keith was almost unbelievably hot.

Like if Hunk touched him he would burn. Or something like that. After staring at Keith for an admittedly long time, Hunk snaps his gaze to the coffee in front of him as Keith begins to turn around with his drink in hand. He doesn't dare look up until he sees Keith's boots out of the corner of his eyes and hears him clearing his throat.

"What do you want?" Why, oh god, why did Hunk say it like that? He was supposed to be making friends with Keith! Regardless, Keith rolls his eyes and motions to the rest of the shop.

"There's nowhere else to sit."

"Well I was just leaving!" Hunk exclaims, shooting out of his seat.

"You can stay-"

"See you later, Keith!" Hunk nervously spews, grabbing his coffee, envelope, and phone off the table before promptly leaving the cafe. As he rushes out the door, his vision fogs in embarrassment until a bit down the road he bumps into someone, sending them to the ground and spilling his coffee all over them.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry I didn't mean-" Hunk stops talking, as he looks down at Romelle on the sidewalk. Shit. The girl he kind of has a crush on. With coffee all over her. On the dirty ground.

"Hunk, it's okay!" Romelle says, laughing it off. Hunk exhales and closes his eyes for a second to relax, opening them as he extends his hand to help her up.

She takes hold of his big hand, and he hoists her easily up off the ground. "Do you happen to have a napkin?" She asks, looking down at her half drenched blouse. She was dressed quite cutely too, in a button up top tucked into a skirt that perfectly matches the little pink flowers that dot the top. She's also wearing a pair of black platforms, capping the cutesy look off with a punkish aspect.

Hunk on the other hand, is wearing a measly zip-up hoodie over a t-shirt despite the warm weather, paired with some old tattered jeans.

"No, but here! Just use my jacket to wipe up whatever you can!" Hunk rambles on, pulling his jacket off quickly and handing it to Romelle. Hunk continues rambling on about the mess, offering to clean the clothes and a bunch of stuff that doesn't really need to be said. He only stops once he notices Romelle is just looking at him with a gentle smile on her face. 

She takes the jacket out of his hands, putting it on and zipping it up instead of doing what Hunk suggested. It's almost embarrassingly big on her, sliding off one shoulder and going all the way down past her skirt. But instead of Hunk feeling ashamed he's kind of just... overwhelmed by how cute Romelle looks.

"How about... I go home and clean this up, and then we can meet at 8 today for a drink. And I'll give you your sweater back." She says, chuckling.

"Oh! Um, yeah sure, of course! I'll call Pidge and we can all-"

"Don't call Pidge. Or anyone else. It'll be like a date, okay?" Romelle asks, eyes hopeful and innocent. Hunk is kind of just lost for words, stuttering over his words. Instead of waiting for Hunk to respond, Romelle just leans up and kisses him on the cheek.

"See you then." She saws as she walks past him and down the street.

Did that really just happen? There is no way that was real, and dear god someone needed to pinch him right now or he would never wake up.

Except it definitely was real, and holy shit how was Hunk going to figure out what to wear!

-

Hunk had decided to invite Pidge and Allura over. Romelle had told Hunk not to call but... he needed help ok! Honestly not even just that, but what was he supposed to say and do. Hunk had literally never been on a date before. It honestly shocks him that someone as beautiful as Romelle would want to go on a date with him!

"Ok, now listen close and carefully Hunk. This next hour is gonna be the most important hour of your life! You have to listen to me and Allura, or else Romelle will never talk to you again!" Pidge says, basically giving a presentation to Hunk as he sits innocently on his bed.

"All jokes aside, you have to be really careful with Romelle." Allura says more gently and constructively than Pidge. Then suddenly she gets really close, eye to eye and puts her hand on his shoulder, squeezing a little too hard for comfort.

"And I've known Romelle for a very long time and I know that not many boys have been nice to her. If you so much as mistreat one little bone in her body I swear to god I will-" Allura is interrupted by Pidge pulling her away from Hunk and onto the ground, so they are both sitting down in from of him.

"I think he gets the point. And Hunk's a really good guy, trust me 'Llura." Pidge reassures Allura, who just huffs and crosses her arms.

"Ok so basically, all you have to do on the date is, number one, compliment her! Number 2, laugh at her jokes. Number 3, don't be boring! Just do all of that, and the date should be successful!" Pidge boldly claims three simple steps for Hunk to follow.

"I feel like it definitely won't be that easy, but I'll try!" Hunk announces.

"Good! And I already bought something on my way here for you to wear, so we've got that covered!" Allura cheers, grabbing the bag she had brought with her that he hadn't noticed until now.

Hunk gulps, worrying about the contents of said bag. I mean, what if Allura got all the wrong sizes? It's likely that she could have underestimated and gotten something way to small! Or... oh god what if it was too big! What it she thought he was actually way bigger than he really was, that would be even worse!

"Oh and I picked up a little bag for you Pidge since it was your birthday last week!" Allura giggles, holding up the cute little green backpack. This brings Hunk back down to earth for a second, and gives him a chance to focus on Allura and the bag. She dumps the contents out on the floor and then crumbles the clothes up in a ball, tossing it at Hunk.

"Go! Get dressed!" She demands, pointing to the bathroom visible out the open door of his bedroom. He barely holds onto the wad of clothes as he makes his way to the bathroom. He glances in the mirror briefly before deciding to change turned around. It's just easier that way.

Once he's done, he walks back across the hall reluctantly. The clothes actually fit him pretty well, almost magically well. It seems Allura guessed him perfectly. He also quite likes the style a lot. The sweater is a dark subtle green with yellow accents on the cuffs and collar. He's wearing a white button up underneath with the collar and sleeves folded over a bit to show. For pants he is wearing a pair of khaki's quite similar to some he owns, just made out of a noticeably nicer and more expensive fabric.

He enters the room silently, and both Pidge and Allura look over. They are both silent with slightly gaping mouths. Is that... good or bad?

"Oh my god you are so handsome I might kiss you before Romelle get's the chance!" Pidge declares, standing up and throwing herself playfully on Hunk. Allura stands as well, eyes more calculating and observant. She stands looking at him for a seconds before it clicks.

"I almost forgot!" She says, rustling in the bag. "I got you the headband, it should help keep your hair out of the way. That way Romelle can see your beautiful eyes!" Hunk can't help but flush a little and Allura walks towards him and ties the yellow band delicately around his head.

"You are a genius, Allura!" Pidge exclaims, clapping her hands and cheering. "Romelle is gonna have no choice but to fall head over heels with Hunk!"

-

Hunk lets Pidge drop him off at the bar/pub they usually hang out at. He expects Pidge to drive away but she goes down a bit and parks. She is too nosey for her own good. Hunk enters the place and finds an empty table after getting two beers from the bar.

If there was one good thing about this town, it's that absolutely no one cares about underage drinking. Well, technically there is people that care, but at this particular pub, no one bothers. It's also not the most classy place, but Hunk or any of his friends don't want to bother buying fake ID's. He can wait a few more years to be able to legally drink. And honestly, as a 17 year old, he had never even drunken than much until recently. 

Hunk isn't completely positive about everyone's ages, but he knows they are all going to school with him in the fall. Except Shiro, who is 22. Pidge is technically a few years lower, but Allura, Romelle, and Keith are all in Hunk's class. Pidge is just turned 16, and will probably end up graduating with everyone anyways.

Hunk is pulled from his train of thought as Romelle takes a seat in front of him. "Thanks for getting me a drink!" She says, lifting it up and cheering against Hunk's glass. She then immediately leans back and chugs the whole thing. Like at speeds Hunk has never seen before. He takes a sip of his own drink before clearing his throat and waiting for Romelle to be done.

"You look really beautiful, Romelle." Hunk compliments her as she sets her glass down. Romelle's cheeks tint a pinkish color and she doesn't reply, instead getting up and walking to the bar. This is the first chance he has gotten to see what she is wearing. She's wearing a white dress that stops around mid thigh, and a pair of white socks that go so high they leave a desirable inch of skin between them and the dress. Over the tank top dress she has a cropped pink cardigan left unbuttoned and gently falling off her shoulders. It looks like shes wearing a matching pair of pink sneakers. Hunk also now just notices that his jacket is hung over the back of the chair Romelle was sat in. He smiles fondly while remembering their interaction from this morning. Eventually, Romelle is making her way back to the table with two more glasses of beer. She takes a seat and sets the glasses down.

"I had a couple shots at the bar too, I hope you don't mind." Romelle jokes, and Hunk, remembering number 2 Pidge had told him about, laughs for a disproportionately long amount of time. Romelle kind of gives him a weird look as she sips on her beer before Hunk realizes he's getting the attention of other people and stops. So far, the first two things Pidge told him about, he had failed miserably at. Now, he just needed to not be boring.

"So, you're really into music right? What are some of your favorite groups or artists?" Hunk asks, folding his arms on the table and leaning forward a bit.

"Well, one of my favorites lately is Sufjan Steven's, but overall Hozier has got to be the best." Hunk's eyes basically glaze over at the mention of Hozier.

"Oh my god, Hozier is my all time favorite artist, I love his stuff!" Hunk exclaims, face lit up with excitement. Romelle chuckles, taking a sip of her drink.

"How'd you come to have such a good taste of music?" Romelle asks.

"Well, I spent the last two months in the me- I mean with my mom! I was with my mom, and she lives in the middle of nowhere. Most of the time I listened to music. Either some new stuff I downloaded before I left or whatever CD's I could find laying around. And honestly, if I was a teen in the 90s, I would have totally been into Oasis and Phil Collins." Hunk rambles on without realizing, and Romelle just slowly sips on here drink as he talks. She's kind of a good listener, but he worries he's bored her to death.

"And how did you get into-" Hunk is cut off as Romelle suddenly stands and leans forward over the table to connect their lips together. Like total lip on lip, not a cheek kiss like earlier. Hunk's eyes shoot wide open and he doesn't even have a second to savor the kiss before Romelle pulls away. She stays leans over the table, one hand planted on it and the other pulling at Hunk's collar.

"My parents aren't home, and I have the whole house to myself, maybe we should head back-"

"Yes, yes, yes, let's go do that right now!" Hunk stands abruptly and walks around to pull his jacket off the back of Romelle's chair, wrapping it around her.

"Lead the way!" Hunk says, smiling. Romelle nods, smiling back and bundling herself up in Hunk's jacket as they brace for the chilly temperature of the night outside. Hunk follows behind Romelle until they are out the door and a few feet away from the pub before he walks right up next to her. With his hands at his side, he feels Romelle grab onto his pinky, and eventually his whole hand.

Her hand is so soft, delicate, and small. Nothing like his. They were even warm, while his own were usually cold and clammy. They fit together really nicely, and Hunk blushes under the light of the moon as Romelle guides him through town.

Finally after a comfortably silent walk, they arrive at Romelle's home. It's a modest, cute home. It's clear that a small family lives there, but it's inviting and warm. Romelle takes her hand away from Hunk's briefly to unlock the door, then leading him inside. Once inside, Romelle peels off her shoes as does Hunk. Then, Romelle turns to look at Hunk and let's the jacket wrapped around her drop to the floor in a tantalizing matter. He's almost drooling at this point.

He couldn't have expected this night to go this way. Does Romelle really want... to do all of that? Maybe Hunk isn't ready. Or maybe he should just stop assuming and go along with it. That's what Lance would tell him to do.

Next, Romelle removes the cardigan off her shoulders, more slow and deliberate to peel of the more tight fitting piece. Eventually, her shoulders are revealed and all she is wearing is the dress and socks. With that, Hunk feels overbearingly over-clothed and hot, like he wants to remove as much as soon as possible. Suddenly panic is setting in at the thought of being naked in front of Romelle. Would she ask about his scars? Would she think he's actually fatter and uglier than she thought?

Okay, stop overthinking. It's gross of Hunk to even assume that's whats going on here. Hunk exhales to recollect himself before training his eyes back on Hunk. She starts walking away from him, turning her head and breaking eye contact at the last possible second. Hunk has no choice to follow her up the stairs and down a hallway to what's most likely her room.

As they enter the room, Hunk has no words to describe it rather than... cute. Instead of turning a proper light on, she just turns on a string of lights set up all along her room. The walls are a baby blue and her bed set is baby pink. It matches Romelle's personality so perfectly. Romelle grabs Hunk's hands leading him towards her bed. She pushes him gently until he's sat on the edge. She then goes further until he's laid down with just his feet hanging off the bed.

Romelle climbs slowly into his lap. Her hair is falling down around her face beautifully. Hunk can't help himself from reaching up and brushing his fingers through. In the dark room only lit by the moon coming through the window and the fairy lights, Romelle looks beautiful. It's almost unbelievable that Hunk has such a pretty girl literally on his lap.

Romelle leans down and connects their lips for the first time since they left the bar. She leads the kiss, Hunk too unexperienced to really know what to do. He hesitantly puts his hands on Romelle's waist, and she's so small he could maybe fit his hands all around her. They keep kissing and eventually Romelle leaves a trail of kissing down Hunk's jawline to his neck where she starts kissing and sucking.

Hunk is simply enjoying himself, trying not to overthink anything or psyche himself out. It would be so easy for him to spiral in that direction, but Romelle doesn't deserve that. He doesn't want to make her feel less because of his own mental breakdown. With that, he focuses on keeping calm and breathing steady.

That is, until he feel something suspiciously wet on his neck. Like a steady stream getting in his hair a bit as well. Hunk opens his eyes and adjusts his grip on Romelle to pull her head out of his neck so he can look at her. Fuck... she's crying! Gah, Hunk had messed up somehow, he probably wasn't doing the right thing or saying the right stuff. Of course, this wouldn't last for him. He's not good enough for someone like Romelle.

Suddenly he's breathing really heavily, and panic sets in. Romelle sniffles and rubs the tears off her face, not noticing the panicky state of Hunk. Romelle crawls off his lap, sitting next to him on the bed. Hunk sits up and stares down at his hands in an attempt to regain control. He can't really breath, and it feels like the room is crushing in on him. Like all the air is gone and its just empty space waiting to collapse. It's then as Hunk's breath gets louder and faster that Romelle realizes what's going on.

"Hunk?" She calls out, waiting for a response. Hunk doesn't say anything, only reaches his hands up and pulls the head band off his head. The room is spiraling around him. Why did he drink so much? He should never do that again. It's getting harder and harder to breath, he's going to die. He's going to die an hour after having his first kiss, next to the girl who's already crying because he fucked up so bad. He's just going to choke up and die, so fucking pathetic. Hunk finds his hands wound up in his hair, trying to grab onto anything to ground himself. Maybe he just deserves to die.

"Hunk, calm down. Just take deep breaths with me." Romelle tries to calm him down, rubbing circles on his back. She's never really done this before, what the hell is she supposed to do!

Hunk has tears falling down his cheeks now, and it doesn't take him long to be choke sobbing between breaths. Romelle almost feels like she should call someone, maybe Pidge? Or 911, something!

"Just breath with me, count to ten. It's gonna be okay." Romelle moves to crouch in front of Hunk, holding onto his hands and forcing eye contact. Hunk counts to ten slowly and between sobs, but his gasps for air are becoming noticeably less frequent. By the time he reaching ten, he can mostly breath again. The room feels still, but heavy. Clearly, Hunk and Romelle have a lot to talk about.

**Author's Note:**

> should i continue this?


End file.
